Handle for lanterns



1. w. KNOBLOCK. V

HANDLE FOR LANTERNS.

APPLICAHON FILED OCT. 28, 1920.

1,417,608. 1 P tented May 30, 1922.

BY 8 W J 'KTTGRNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. KNOIBLOCK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A SSIGNOIB, TO AMERICAN LA FRANCE FIRE ENGINE COMPANY, INC., OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HANDLE roe ,LANTERNS.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed October 28, 1920. Serial No. 420,152.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES W. KNoBLocK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county of New York, and

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handles for Lanterns, of, which the following is a full and clear specification.

The object of the present invention is to produce a convenient and simple form of handle for portable hand lanterns and to this end, the invention consists of a rigid, metal handle in the form of a hook secured to the lantern casing and projecting upwardly and rearwardly in position to form a convenient carrying handle and a convenient hook bywhich the lantern can be supported upon any suitable object. In the application of the improved handle to an electric lantern, I prefer to. mount the electric switch in the base of the handle above the lantern casing and provide a switch-operating member that is presented in convenient position for operation by the hand carrying the lantern.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will first be described with reference to the accompanying drawing and afterward pointed out more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a front view of a lantern having the improved hook handle.

Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, detail, sectional view of a portion of the handle, taken on the line 3, '3 of Figure 2.

In illustrating the present invention, it is shown as applied to an electric hand lantern of the type in which two cells (either storage battery or dry cells) are mounted in a suitable case carrying a protected reflector, a light bulb and a switch.

In the drawing, 1 is the main lantern casing of any suitable design, supporting the battery cells, one of which is indicated at 2 and having a forwardly projecting reflector casing 3 enclosing the reflector 4 and the light bulb 5 which is adjustably mounted in the axis of the reflector. There is an offset between the main casing and reflector casing at the front and top to form a recess or pocket indicated'at 6 for the convenient passage of the electric wires 7 that form an is suitably shaped to fit the angular walls of the lantern and reflector casing above the pocket 6 above referred to, side flanges 13 resting against the inclined wall of the lantern to which the handle is rigidly secured by means of screws 14 threaded into suitable openings in the lantern casing. The base of the handle is cut out at 15 to fit snugly over one of the fastening lugs of the lantern bezel 16. This detail formation of the base of the handle is, of course, immaterial since it can readily be fitted to any design of lantern casing and can be shaped according to the particular design.

Chamber 12 in the handle supports an electric switch which may be of any suitable construction, but, in the form illustrated, comprises the well known snap switch built upona cylindrical body of insulating material to accurately fit the handle chamber 12. In this type of switch, the two circuit wires are attached to terminals 20 to which are electerically connected, two contact plates such as indicated at 21, a floating contact member 22 having two blades that are adapted to bridge the contacts 21 and close the circuit. Member 22 is loosely mounted in a supporting flange 23 and carries a small expansion spring 24: that tends to hold movable contact member 22 in either its open or its closed position. The inner end of contact member 22 rests against the curved lower end of an operating lever 25 loosely pivoted on an inwardly curved bracket arm 26 and forked at its upper end to enga e the central notch 27 of the operating pus bar 28 that reciprocates freely through openings in brackets 23, 26 and openings formed transversely in the handle base. This operating push bar 28 projects upon opposite sides of the handle, as shown particularly 1n Figures 1 and 3, in convenient relation to the grip portion of the handle so that the push bar 28 can be readily moved inwardly and outwardly by the fingers of the hand that carries the lantern to turn the light on or oil. I

The improved hook handle and controlling switch have been designed primarily for use with the rugged type of electric lanterns that are used for fire fighting and other similar rough occupations. The strength and rigidity as well as the shape of the handle are .features of great practical importance for insuring reliability under serious strain, and the shape of the handle not only provides a convenient grip for comfortably carrying the lantern, but also provides a great convenience in enabling the user to engage the handle with any suitable object for supporting the lantern and freeing the hand. In

the drawing is an indication in dotted lines at 30 of the rung of a ladder with which the hook handle is shown engaged to indicate a frequent convenient use for the improved handle in fire fightin The arrangement of the switch in the handle not only affords con venient means for assembling the parts, but places the switch in most convenient relation for operation by the same hand that carries the lantern.

I claim s y g 1. Ina portable electric hand lantern, the combination with a casing carrying electric cells and a light bulb, of a rigid handle secured in fixed relation upon the casing and formed with a switch receiving chamber opening into the lantern casing and transverse openings communicating with said chamber, an electric switch mounted in said handle chamber adjacentto said transverse openings, wires extending from said handle chamber into said lantern casing and forming an electric circuit with said switch, cells and bulb, and'a push bar switch-operating chamber mounted in said handle openings and operatably connected with said switch.

2. In a portable hand lantern, the combination with a casing carrying electric cells and a light bulb and formed with a forwardly projecting reflector casing, of a rigid hook-shaped handle securely fastened to the casing above the reflector casing and projecting above and rearwardly of the casing, said handle having a switch-receiving chamber in communication with the lantern casing, and a switch in said chamber in circuit with said cells and bulb.

JAMES W. KNOBLOCK. 

